The invention relates to a water outlet fitting with a handleable water outlet and with a flexible hose line which is connectable to the water outlet via a coupling, which coupling has a ball-and-socket joint which has a first and a second joint part which are connected to each other in an articulated manner and have interconnected liquid passages and of which one joint part bears a hose nipple and an internal or external thread is provided on the other joint part.
Various water outlet fittings with a handleable water outlet are already previously known. This water outlet may be configured, for example, as a handheld spray attachment or similar flexibly handleable water outlet.
Various embodiments of handheld spray attachments which can be used as shower spray attachments or as kitchen spray attachments are already known. The previously known handheld spray attachments are generally connected via a screw coupling to a flexible hose line which, for its part, is connected to the water mains. The previously known handheld spray attachment usually has a spray attachment handle which bears an external thread at the end region thereof which faces away from a spray attachment head and end region designed as a hose connection. The hose line is provided with a hose connection counterpart which can be firmly screwed by means of a union nut bearing an internal thread to the external thread of the hose connection provided on the handheld spray attachment.
However, the screw connection provided between the spray attachment handle and hose line in the case of the previously known handheld spray attachments does not readily permit rotation of the handheld spray attachment with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hose line because the screw connection between the handheld spray attachment and the hose line may otherwise become unintentionally loose and untight. The previously known handheld spray attachments generally also exhibit wear in the vicinity of the clamping or coupling point with respect to the spray attachment handle due to bending overload transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis, said bending overload being caused by the movement of the handheld spray attachment during use.
FIG. 7 of WO 2004/007854 A1 illustrates a water outlet fitting with a fitting body to which a handheld spray attachment can be releasably fastened. For this purpose, the fitting body has an outlet pipe which is curved over a sink and at which the handheld spray attachment is releasably retained. The handheld spray attachment is connected to the water inlet via a flexible hose line which is guided displaceably in the retaining pipe in such a manner that the handheld spray attachment can be released from a use position located on the retaining pipe and can subsequently be freely used. A coupling which has a ball-and-socket joint is provided between the handheld spray attachment and the flexible hose line. In this case, a ball which is connected to the hose is mounted movably in a joint socket which is provided at that end of the handheld spray attachment which faces away from the spray attachment head. The joint socket is arranged in a screw sleeve which can be screwed by an internal thread provided on the sleeve inner circumference into an external thread on the handheld spray attachment. However, because of the rotational movement exerted on the ball-and-socket joint, there is the risk of the screw sleeve becoming released and therefore also the ball-and-socket joint becoming loosened.
A water outlet fitting with a handleable water outlet is previously known from DE 20 2006 010 072 U1. The water outlet is connectable to a flexible hose line via a coupling which has a ball-and-socket joint. The ball-and-socket joint has a first and a second joint part, which joint parts are connected to each other in an articulated manner. Whereas the one joint part bears a hose nipple, the other joint part is provided with an internal or external thread which is screwable to a corresponding external or internal thread on the water outlet. The first joint part has a spherical front end region. A matching joint socket is provided on the second joint part. The first and second joint parts are spaced apart from each other in such a manner that the shell-shaped joint head of a retaining element is accommodated in the intermediate space remaining between the joint parts. This retaining element has a connecting stem which passes through a passage opening in the second joint part and is screwed by means of its free stem end to a component of the previously known water outlet fitting, which component is mounted upstream on the inflow side.
WO 2008/067 879 A1 already reveals a water outlet fitting which, at the water outlet of the fitting body thereof, has a ball-and-socket joint which has a first and a second joint part. These joint parts are connected to each other in an articulated manner and have interconnected liquid passages. In this case, the first joint part is retained pivotably by a spherical front end region of the wall thereof between a matching joint socket on the second joint part and a joint head on a retaining element provided in an internal cavity of the first joint part. The retaining element which passes with a connecting stem, which acts on the second joint part, through a passage opening in the first joint part and engages with the aid of an external thread provided at the free stem end of the connecting stem in an internal thread on the second joint part, connects the liquid passages of the first joint part and of the second joint part to each other. The spherical front end region of the first joint part is adjoined by a sleeve-shaped subregion, into the sleeve interior of which a jet regulator is insertable, said jet regulator being intended to shape the water flowing out of the outlet fitting to form a homogeneous, non-spraying and optionally also gently bubbling water jet.
Water outlet fittings with couplings which have a ball-and-socket joint in the region of a handheld spray attachment and a flexible hose line are also previously known from WO 2007/090 311 A2. However, a screw connection which contains the abovementioned disadvantages is also provided in said couplings which have a ball-and-socket joint.